It is known to provide a trolley which is movable along a conveyor track, such as an I-beam track or a pair of oppositely facing C-channel tracks. The trolley typically includes a pair of opposite arm portions which include a corresponding trolley wheel for engaging a respective one of the channels or tracks. The trolley arms are secured together about a spacer or attachment, which fits between the lower portions of the trolley arms to facilitate attachment of the trolley arms to the chain which drives the trolley along the track. As shown in FIG. 1, a typical spacer 2 may have a threaded stud 3 attached thereto and extending downward therefrom for connecting to a load bar 4. The stud 3 may insert through a bushing 5 and/or washer 6 of the load bar, and the load bar may be secured to the stud via a nut 7.
In order to attach the load bar to the trolley or trolleys, an operator must thread and tighten the nut onto the stud, which may be labor intensive. Also, when the material handling system and trolleys are implemented in caustic environments, concerns exist with the durability of the threaded stud and nut. For example, chemicals and/or the like that may be encountered in such caustic environments may lead to corrosion of the threaded stud, whereby the nut may eventually slide off or detach from the stud. This may cause the load bar to detach from the trolley and fall to the ground, which is a safety concern and may also be damaging to the trolley and the material conveyed by the trolley and to the facility. Although some applications may include a cotter pin or the like through the nut to retain the nut to the stud, the cotter pins are often not robust enough and may shear under the loads applied by the load bar.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a trolley and material handling system which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art.